Military helicopter crash kills 3 in Myanmar

Office of the Commander-in-Chief says all personnel on board killed after chopper crashes 270 kilometers northeast of Yangon

By Kyaw Ye Lynn

YANGON, Myanmar (AA) – A military helicopter crashed near the Yangon–Mandalay Expressway in central Myanmar on Tuesday, killing all three military servicemen on board, according to officials.

The Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar’s armed forces announced that the Mi-2 military chopper went down in a valley some 270 kilometers (168 miles) northeast of commercial capital Yangon.

The fatal incident occurred due to bad weather conditions shortly after the aircraft was refueled at 11.30 a.m. (0500GMT) at the Taungngu airbase in south-central Bago Division, according to the statement.

The helicopter had been headed from the Meikhtila airbase in central Mandalay Division to Myeik city in southern Thanintharyi Division.

In February, five military personnel were killed after a small military plane crashed during a routine patrol near the political capital Nay Pyi Taw.

Myanmar’s busy aviation sector has also seen several incidents involving commercial planes in recent years.

In July, a passenger plane of Air Bagan owned by a local business tycoon, Tay Za, was carrying 49 people when it skidded off the runway after landing during heavy rain at Yangon International Airport.